Interventional Cardiology

The Orkand Center for Interventional Cardiology conducts over 4,000 procedures each year. Led by Greg Kumkumian, M.D., medical director for the cardiac catheterization laboratory, Suburban’s three labs perform:

Diganostic procedures

PCI

Right heart catheterization

TAVR prodedures, under the direction of Rani Hasan, M.D.

These include:

Cardiac catheterization. With this procedure, a catheter or tube is placed into the heart through the leg or arm. Then, X-rays are taken after a contrast agent is injected into an artery to locate the narrowing, occlusions, and other abnormalities of specific arteries.

Coronary angioplasty. With this procedure, a balloon is used to expand a narrowing in the blood vessel to increase blood flow. Although angioplasty is performed in other blood vessels elsewhere in the body, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) refers to angioplasty in the coronary arteries to permit more blood flow into the heart. PCI is also called percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). There are several types of PCI procedures, including:

Balloon angioplasty. A small balloon is inflated inside the blocked artery to re-establish blood flow. This is often accompanied by stent placement.

Coronary artery stent. A tiny mesh coil is expanded inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area and is left in place to keep the artery open.

Atherectomy. The blocked area inside the artery is "shaved" away by a tiny device on the end of a catheter.

Laser angioplasty. A laser is used to help "vaporize" the blockage in the artery.